The updated residence halls will replace Threlkeld and Miller halls, both built in the 1960s. UofL expects to spend around $71 million on the project using tax-exempt bonds.

The new state-of-the-art dorms are part of a broader commitment to provide students with a safe, supportive and enriching environment in which to learn and live. One of the new halls will be adjoined by UofL’s new Cultural and Equity Center, which will be accessible to all students via the building’s exterior.

This continued transformation of campus is undoubtedly exciting, ushering a new era of student experience and campus revitalization. However, what’s particularly remarkable about this specific project is that the new residence halls were designed with a significant amount of input from students. In fact, students have been involved since the project began, before the contractors were even chosen.

That student involvement is facilitated by Grace Beebe, president of the Residence Hall Association, and Henny Ransdell, vice president of services for the Student Government Association. Both attend meetings at least twice a week with Campus Housing and the construction company (Messer) and both took over after their now-graduated predecessors – Natalie Middleton and Lydia Burns, respectively – started the process in the same roles.

“Lydia and Natalie did a lot of the early work, helping to pick out the construction company, for example. They got a vote to pick the architects and contractors and that was important because they were able to lay the foundation on what the student priorities were,” Ransdell said.

Among those priorities are gender-neutral bathrooms and at least a LEED Silver rating. That rating indicates the building was constructed and designed with sustainability features in mind; features like electric charging stations for cars and efficient heating and cooling systems.

And, most colleges are moving away from communal bathrooms, Beebe said, adding that this detail is an important piece of the overall student experience.

“When you talk about someone’s living experience, this will make it so much more pleasant,” she said. “It will monumentally change people’s experiences as freshmen and it will put the university on a path to be even more inclusive and fluid.”

While LEED certification and inclusive and private bathrooms may seem a bit high level, the students have been involved in decisions as granular as the furniture. In September, Campus Housing held a furniture fair to gain student feedback on some of these details, and Ransdell and Beebe were in charge of compiling that input to ensure students’ feedback was put into action.

“Having students’ voices involved in this process is so important and the feedback we have provided on behalf of our students have actually resulted in changes in plans for the building — things like better study spaces, spaces that are more visually appealing. We have told the contractors that students don’t really use this anymore, for example, or that they might benefit from having a whiteboard here or some signage there. They’re willing to take that younger, fresher perspective,” Beebe said.

Those discussions have drilled down as far as the desks and the carpet.

“I remember one day having a long conversation about carpet. And we were able to share how we use our desks so maybe they weren’t so clunky,” Ransdell said. “We’re getting so much say in these things and it varies every day. I truly feel that our opinions are valued.”

Aside from providing input at the furniture fair, students have been filtering their feedback up to Beebe and Ransdell through RHA or SGA meetings, service email accounts and general forms.

“We have tried to be very open and take in that feedback from any student who is willing to provide it and I think because of that, we’ve had a lot of impact on the design of these buildings,” Beebe said. “We would hear an idea, talk about it and then take the idea to (housing and the contractors) and they would make it work for students. Right off the bat, we knew we could make this project better.”

Both Beebe and Ransdell also believe the new dorms will make UofL better overall. For starters, the buildings will be more sustainable, inclusive and modern. But most importantly, they’ll be accessible.

“These are our entry point dorms and they will house a lot of freshmen who might not be able to scale up to the cost of our apartments,” Ransdell said. “We want to have a really great space that is also affordable for a lot of families. It’s going to provide a better experience for our students at a more accessible price point, so families won’t have to feel burdened.”  

New dorms will house a new Cultural and Equity Center

Another priority for the students is making sure that new Cultural and Equity Center is done right. The center will house the Cultural Center, the office of Diversity łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Inclusive Excellence, LGBT Center, Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Social Justice and the Women’s Center – all under one roof for the first time in UofL history.

“This is an important piece of the university’s fabric and we need to make sure our students have a home that is individually theirs and not just something in the corner of a bigger space,” Ransdell said. “We are making sure it’s a dignified space they deserve.”

Features include a student lounge, conference rooms, a training room, resource library, student work area, student activity space, kitchen, barrier-free restrooms and a lactation room.

According to “The University of Louisville” book by Dwayne D. Cox and William J. Morison, Threlkeld Hall was UofL’s first co-ed dorm. During its early years in the 1960s, a wall separated the 126 women in the north end of the building from the 136 men on the south end.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s the Berlin Wall,” the director of the dorm said at the time, according to the book.

The dorm is named after Hilda Threlkeld, former dean of women.

In recent years, Threlkeld Hall has served as a living-learning community for honors and many scholarship students and, since 2004, it has hosted the Etscorn Honors Center. The co-ed residence hall now houses approximately 250 first-year and upper-class residents. Throughout its 58-year history, Threlkeld has housed approximately 14,500 residents.

Morgan Blair, Campus Housing assistant director of marketing and communications, lived in Threlkeld during her freshman year in 2010.

“I came from a small town in Eastern Kentucky and Threlkeld offered me a close-knit community on campus. At that time, it was the honors hall, so a lot of students were part of that honors community,” she said. “In Threlkeld, if you’re someone who doesn’t fit in elsewhere, you have a community. There is always something going on. It’s a place where everyone can have a social group.”

Indeed, the lobby of Threlkeld has served as a social hub for residents throughout the years, with movie nights, karaoke, video game tournaments, billiards and more. There is seemingly always something going on. Further, a “birdhouse” exists in the lobby, where residents write down their names and majors in the beginning of the year – an effort to foster that community.Ěý

Campus Housing asked a few former Threlkeld residents to share their favorite memories from the hall, which included:

• “The people. I met some lifelong friends by living in that dorm”
• “The strong sense of community and everyone hanging out in the lobby having a good time.”
• “Threlkeld was in a prime location, super close to the SAC.”
• “The people I met. I have many friends I still talk to and see on a regular basis who I met while living at Threlkeld. That one year gave my some of my best friends and fondest memories of college.”
• “I chose Threk because it was in the middle of campus and close to everything. My favorite part was the community setting that allows you to meet new people and hang out with friends.”

UofL Alumni will host a homecoming farewell to Threlkeld Hall . The event will take a last look inside Threlkeld and will feature comments from former residents. Michael Mardis, dean of students and vice provost for Student Affairs, will also share updated on the new residence halls. Campus Housing will dedicate a commemorative page on its website to Threlkeld once the dorm is officially demolished after the fall semester.Ěý

Renderings of the new dorm are featured in the virtual tour below:

“I feel very, very confident and optimistic about where we are as an institution,” she said. “On the HSC front, we are able to accrue savings faster than I thought we would. We need to be able to say we are delivering on what we are promising, so this is good news.”

Because of this, Bendapudi noted in a campus-wide email sent Thursday that UofL has requested a smaller loan for the facilities – from the original $50 million to $35 million.

“We are anticipating a procurement savings of more than $7 million annually and we will make operational reductions of nearly $10 million after year one,” she said.

This loan request will be up for a vote in Frankfort during this legislative session.

Also, Aaron Thompson, president of Kentucky’s CPE, visited UofL as the last stop on his state-wide listening tour. He shared high-level observations about college affordability and mental health resources. More information about Thompson’s .Ěý

Provost Beth Boehm also provided an update to senators, noting that UofL kept its dorms open over the winter break, a new decision she called “very successful.”

“There are two groups who especially took advantage of this, LGBTQ students who may not have the opportunity to go home, and international students who may not be able to afford the travel to go home,” she said, adding that meals were donated by a handful of companies during break for those students.

Boehm also noted that the student well-being committee has met to talk about what faculty members can do to help students be more successful, both academically and personally.

“Students have a lot of roadblocks to work around and we need to try to reduce those,” she said.

Other committees up and running since the semester started include:

• IBM group
• Advising work group
• Consensual sexual policy
• Faculty accountability
• Also, an open educational resources committee has been created to ensure our students have easy access to resources

Mark Watkins, senior associate vice president of Operations, and Gary Becker, assistant director of Parking Administration, provided an update on upcoming construction on the Belknap Campus. Starting in May 2020, construction will begin on a new residence hall where the Miller Hall parking lot currently sits. This new residence hall is scheduled to open in August 2021. The existing Miller Hall will be demolished in May 2022.Ěý

In May 2021, Threlkeld Hall will be demolished and construction will begin on a new residence hall at that location in June 2021. It is slated to open August 2022.Ěý

These construction projects are facilitated through $90 million funded from the state.

Additionally, as part of that phase one construction, the Cultural Center will be torn down and rebuilt.Ěý

A brief update was provided from the benefits design work group, which meets in February. In the meantime, the employee benefits guiding principles are .Ěý

The Academic Programs Committee shared two proposals:

• A bachelor of Business Administration from the College of Business. This degree is meant to be more of a generalist degree, versus our current bachelor of science in Business Administration program, which takes a deeper dive into functional areas of business such as accounting, economics and marketing.
• An MS in Materials and Energy Science & Engineering from the Speed School. Currently, UofL does not offer any degrees in advanced materials and energy science and engineering.

Both proposals passed.

Second readings were held for a for the School of Dentistry, and more extensive update for the Speed School of Engineering’s personnel documents, including a . Both were approved.

There was no report from the Student Government. The Staff Senate report from December is and includes a budget update from CFO Dan Durbin. There is no January meeting for that body.

Faculty Chair Krista Wallace-Boaz announced that Kevin Gardner has been named executive vice president for Research and Innovation effective Jan. 27 pending board approval. Gardner comes to UofL from the University of New Hampshire, where he served as vice provost of research.

Wallace-Boaz also presented a timeline for the provost search, expected to ramp up in late February with airport interviews. Three to five individuals will be brought on campus in March and April, and a final committee meeting will be held in April.

The Student Success Center has created a group for campus partners to discuss initiatives regarding first-generation students. Areas of discussion include potential collaboration, prevention of redundant programming and unique obstacles this population faces.

The next Faculty Senate meeting is Feb. 5 in Chao Auditorium.

Prior to her report, with the meeting taking place on Veterans Day, Staff Senate chair John Smith recognized Timothy Dill for his service in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

Following the approval of minutes, Professor Reginald Bruce shared that two new academic programs have been reviewed and discussed, while :

1. Certificate in LGBTQ Health Studies. The program provides undergraduates with certification in knowledge about the unique healthcare needs of LGBTQ populations. An advantage of this program is it would use many resources that are already in place at UofL. It would also be the first undergraduate program of this kind in the country.
2. Certificate in Organizational Change in Higher łÉČËÖ±˛Ą. It is aimed at preparing postsecondary instructors and faculty members for professional practice related to understanding and managing organizational change within their institutions and units.
3. Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Management, chaired by Dr. Carl Maertz. It has intended date of implementation in fall 2020. The major provides targeted courses in management, requiring functional knowledge of business disciplines and an internship experience in management.

Gary Becker, director of university parking and transportation services, discussed a construction project set to begin on campus that will affect parking. Construction on New Residence Hall 1, which features approximately 450 traditional-style spaces, will start at the end of the 2019-20 academic year, with an anticipated fall 2021 completion date. It will be located between Miller Hall and the Student Activities Center, the current location of the visitor parking lot for the SAC. The reserved lot behind the Red Barn will be closed to allow for the parking of construction trailers and to provide construction vehicles access to the site.

Upon completion of that building, Threlkeld Hall will be razed at the end of the 2021 academic year. New Residence Hall 2, which also features approximately 450 traditional-style spaces, is set for a fall 2022 completion date, and Miller Hall will be razed at the end of that academic year.

President Bendapudi said the acquisition of the KentuckyOne Health Louisville assets is complete. UofL is trying to respect the legacy of these facilities by keeping part of their names; for example, UofL Health – Peace Hospital, and UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital. More information about the new names is .

“We are trying to be sensitive to the communities we serve,” she said. “We feel good about turning things around.”

Bendapudi noted that Jewish Hospital was losing about $50 million a year. UofL will receive $33 million a year in funding just for being an academic health institution. UofL is also depending on a $50 million loan from the state to help kick the turnaround plan in place.

“The loan is critical to the success of this turnaround. It will provide long-term stability and continued service,” she said.

Bendapudi added that the risks of not acquiring this system would have been significant. Jewish Hospital, for example, gets about 3,000 emergency visits per month. Further, UofL’s renowned transplant program would have to close, about 1,900 jobs would be lost, equating to about $100 million annually in wages, 60 residents would have to be relocated, and there are additional ramifications.

Several hundred employees participated in the inaugural Cards Come Together event, held during Homecoming Week in October. Bendapudi said she hopes this becomes an annual event.

Raise Some L, also held during Homecoming Week, raised a record amount of money – more than $900,000. This compares to the about $300,000 raised last year.

Finally, Bendapudi said the Strategic Plan is in the implementation phase. There are three committees each under the Learn, Work and Invest focus areas, and two additional committees tasked with identifying our thematic charges (e.g. aging) and how to best implement our CARDINAL principles.

Mary Elizabeth Miles, interim associate vice president for human resources, spoke with the group about programs HR has implemented, including HRtalks and HRlistens, focusing on increasing two-way communication with employees. As part of the 2019-22 Strategic Plan, the initiatives focus on personal growth and professional development to become a “Great Place to Work.”

Miles said there was a decision made regarding hourly, non-exempt employees that have to work during winter break and how the university will compensate them. She said HR is working with a consultant to study job titles and roles of staff to determine how positions at UofL align with those at parallel institutions.

Other reports:

Jason Beare provided a report on employee benefits, which is , regarding future topics being discussed.

The Student Government Association noted that 1,800 pounds of food have been collected for the food pantry. It also was mentioned that students staying on campus during break should email Lydia Burns. SGA worked on an initiative about bike safety with UofL’s Police Department.

Smith spoke about the opening of Chick-fil-A on the HSC campus and informed senators about the university’s settlement with John Schnatter for naming rights to Cardinal Stadium, which athletics paid. The rest of his .

Vice chair Andrew Grubb spoke about his involvement with the UofL Athletics Association and reviewing fees both for 300-level College of Business courses as well as online/distance learning classes.

More reports are . The next Staff Senate meeting is Dec. 9 in Chao Auditorium.

Nixon, who has been on the board since February 2018, succeeds David Grissom, who has served as board chair since 2017. Grissom will remain on the board but will not hold a leadership position.

A graduate of Western Kentucky University, Nixon spent 21 years as Yum! Brands’ vice president of tax and internal audit. Prior to her role at Yum!, she served as vice president and controller at PNC Bank for 10 years.

Her selection as chair “is an honor and a privilege,” Nixon said.

Nixon will bring many strengths to her role as chair, Grissom said, including financial expertise and “a strong moral compass.”

President Neeli Bendapudi praised Nixon and Grissom for their dedication to the university and thanked them for their strong support of her.

The board also elected Raymond Burse, former Kentucky State University president, as vice chair; Diane Medley, managing partner and co-founder of MCM CPAs & Advisors, as treasurer; and Bonita Black, attorney and partner at Dinsmore & Shohl, as secretary. Former vice chair Jim Rogers, retired COO of investment firm J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons Inc., and John Smith, assistant director of intramural and recreational sports and UofL Staff Senate president, were elected as members of the Executive and Compensation Committee.

In other action, the Board approved a revised student housing plan that includes demolishing Threlkeld Hall and replacing it with a 450-bed facility. Previously, the plan included renovating and adding 50 rooms to the 239-bed hall. The new plan increases the cost by about $6.7 million, which will be offset by additional revenue and lower maintenance costs. If approved by the state, construction will begin in spring 2021, with the facility opening for the fall 2022 semester.

Also, the board approved refurbishing all lower-bowl seats at Cardinal Stadium and replacing seats at the Ulmer softball and Patterson baseball stadiums. The $1.8 million project will restore and/or replace almost 38,000 faded or damaged seats in the football stadium and about 3,000 seats in the other facilities.